PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When St. John’s coach Steve Lavin decided to suspend star guard D’Angelo Harrison for the rest of the season, Red Storm fans from Midwood to Harlem weighed in on worst-case scenarios:

Without Harrison, who led the team with 58 three-pointers made, who would make a clutch 3?

How would the team compensate for his 18.3 points per game average?

Which player would be called upon to take some of Harrison’s team-leading 945 minutes played and how would that impact the team’s stamina?

What would this do to the team’s fleeting NCAA Tournament hopes?

All of those questions surfaced last night and when the Johnnies didn’t have answers, they dropped a gut-retching 62-59 loss at Providence that all but burst their tourney bubble.

JaKarr Sampson, who admitted to feeling extra pressure without Harrison, missed a 3 with four seconds left that would have forced overtime. The Johnnies were a woeful 1-for-11 from behind the arc. Providence was 7-of-22 if you looking for a statistical key.

Guards Jamal Branch and Phil Greene IV tried to pick up some of the scoring, but were a collective 5-of-24 from the field. Branch didn’t play the final 7:52 after suffering a severe leg cramp which further depleted St. John’s.

Felix Balamou, who had become a forgotten man on the bench, played 22 relentless minutes. But his lack of experience burned the Johnnies when he fouled Bryce Cotton on a 3 with 3:46 left. The four-point play swung the game.

And that NCAA Tournament dream? The loss drops the Johnnies to 16-12 overall and 8-8 in the Big East, exactly the same resume as Providence, which won its sixth game in the last seven.

“What I try and do is coach the kids I have,’’ said Lavin when asked if Harrison could have changed the outcome. “D’Angelo’s been suspended so this is the group I’m coaching and I really don’t dwell to much on thinking about outcomes when I’m coaching this group.

“My focus is on this group of kids. This is my basketball team right now. We’re moving forward with this group.’’

This group came to play, overcoming an emotionally roiling week. On Thursday they learned that 6-foot-9 senior Orlando Sanchez had been granted a year of eligibility to play next season. But they also learned Lavin had suspended Harrison for what sources describe as conduct detrimental to the team.

Sir’Dominic Pointer (13 points, 10 rebounds) said Harrison watched the game last night from Queens. His grandmother, Angela Harris, flew in from Houston to support her grandson. It’s likely they will try to meet with Lavin to discuss the suspension and Harrison’s return to the team next season.

“We just had to get the feel for it,’’ Sampson said of playing without Harrison. “We’ve never played a game without D’Angelo. We just had to get the feel for it. I was just feeling it out, looking for open shots and trying to play my game.’’

Sampson did, scoring a team-high 22 points. He missed the two 3’s he attempted. Sampson had attempted just five going into the game. Pointer missed a runner with 10 seconds left that would have tied it.

Balamou, playing 22 minutes, his most since Nov. 29, fouled Cotton on a 3 with 3:46 left. The four-point play turned a 55-53 Red Storm lead turned into a 57-55 deficit. The Johnnies never regained the lead.